South Fork Crooked River Oregon | Mrsroadrunner Photography

South Fork Crooked River Oregon | Mrsroadrunner Photography




This is the South Fork of the Crooked River in the Ochoco Mountains here in Oregon!





The Crooked River is a tributary of the Deschutes River and is 125 miles long. "Crooked", is a good word for this river too haha! The Crooked River winds it's way here and there!

We spend a lot of time around the Crooked River! Many creatures have to have water! Depending what you are looking for, depends where you want to go! I look for meadows, I look for places with standing water for my Butterfly and other insect photography.

Cottonwood groves will produce Owls and other birds. So will the Cattails. Wooded areas are quite popular with all kinds of wildlife! Along with the wooded areas, Mushrooms are found to photograph! Sometimes you can run into watersheds. Watersheds are fenced off so the horses, cattle can not get in there and tear up these water sources. I admit we do not spend time at the watersheds. No real reason, just do not see to much movement.







Some areas you will find fly fisher people. Crawfish are found in some places. Campers are found along with their horses at time as well. These things are typically all found within the same places and we do not bother with these places typically. Why bother? Wildlife just does not care for such human activity.





We go to the more quiet places. The places where people are not! Sure we do stop into some of the camping places to read the boards. This is where important information is at, such as cougars in the area etc..





Most people do not see anything, those who are looking for the big that is. Which there is Elk, Mule Deer, Antelope (Pronghorns for the folks who want to get technical). It is good to pay attention to the hunting seasons!

Wild Horses are found in these mountains as well! The Wild Horses are easy enough to spot at the tree's with high grasses growing. A lot of dung in the road, they use the roads too! Driving quickly in the Ochoco Mountains may not result in a great outcome! Sheep, lots of sheep graze in the Ochoco Mountains. Cattle are also brought into the Ochoco Mountains. You do not think the campers and our taxes pay for everything do you?





Just keep your eyes open if you are around the Crooked River, any part of it! The wildlife might be small, might be hard to see if you do not yet have the eyes to see. Wildlife is there! You just got to slow down, look around!

PLEASE if you pack it in, pack it out! Sure there are garbage cans here and there in the parks, however people have to empty these and in today's economy just pack it out yourself!

Thank you for coming by and visiting Oregon!

Froglet in The High Desert | Mrsroadrunner Photography

Froglet in The High Desert | Mrsroadrunner Photography




Meet the Froglet , or Baby Frog here in Our pond! This Froglet is the common frog we have. The Pacific Tree Frog has to have a place to lay eggs and for those eggs to grow into adult frogs. Of course the Pacific Tree Frog uses any source of water for this process, this pond of ours is one of those places.





At this stage of growth this Froglet is still not mature enough to leave the water for good. However at this stage the Froglets start coming out of the water checking out things.

The shot above there are at least one Froglet and a tadpole under the water. This small pond of ours is the one pond this species of Frog likes, the other pond has Toads that make the other pond theirs so this species is not to fond of that pond. Or if they are, I do not get the chance to observe them.





You can see from the above shot, the Tadpoles are of different sizes, we do have several different species of Frogs and Toads that show up here at home. So the two above may not even be the same species?? The eyes seam to be the same color, so I feel these two are the same species just different sizes and in different stages of growth. I am not expert, I just spend time with the Tadpoles, Froglets. Much like folks who spend time with their fish.....

This pond has Raspberries growing around it which brings in many creatures, plus the berries themselves have a way of dropping into the water. The wild birds also use this and the other pond. Because of all the life in the ponds we do add fresh water to the ponds at least two times a day. We were thinking of putting one of those waterfalls in the pond, however I like all the life in the ponds and do wonder if we did add such a feature would it do something to the life in the pond? Would the waterfall disturb the eggs??





The mature Frogs do branch out. Moving to where a food source is. Food sources being any creepy crawling thing they can find. I even watched a mature Pacific Tree Frog eat a dung beetle, which the mature Frog instantly spit out of his mouth. Not tasting to good perhaps? This of course made me laugh!

What I get a kick out of is when the neighborhood kids find a mature Frog!! The small kids get such a kid out of seeing them, and perhaps catching them? I asked a child of perhaps age 8 who was new to me, if he likes Frogs. Instantly telling me NO. So I do worry about our small friends who helps with our organic garden. However we do have a healthy population of these common frogs. I still hate to see them killed for nothing more then surviving to adulthood.

Since these are wild Frogs I can only hope they survive the cats, people, birds, snakes etc.. I do remove snakes when I smell or see them. I am not bad at catching what I want to catch. Then Guy and I drive them at least a mile away so we never see that particular snake again. Though snakes are pretty good about coming back......





I thought this shot of this Froglet swimming was a good shot to end this post with. I can spend a lot of time watching the Froglets! The birds who stop for a drink or a bath are so funny when they see the bigger Froglets! We get many fledglings here who have never yet seen a mature Frog or a Froglet! The first time seeing them is just a cute funny!

Thank you for coming by and checking out my photographs of this day of photographing the life in the pond!

Spadefoot Toad Back in Oregon

Spadefoot Toad Back in Oregon




Meet again the Spadefoot Toad that lives here at our property showing up once in a while in our pond.



Since our weather has been warm for this time of the year, I started watering. The next morning this Spadefoot Toad was in this fabricated pond. We placed these fabricated ponds into our natural ponds for water conservation. Our part of the High Desert has been getting drier then normal due to the limitation of water. We felt in 2014 that 2015 might be worse thus the prefabricated ponds.

As soon as we installed these two prefabricated ponds, this Spadefoot Toad showed up in this one. Last year the tadpoles hatched,grew and left the pond. This cycle looks as if it will continue in 2015. We have no clue how long this species of toad has lived here on our property? Since we have other species of frogs here, the singing of frogs and toads coming from our ponds goes on both days and nights. I try and photograph the visitors or the residence of wildlife we have here at home.



The photographs you see here are from two days. The first day this Spadefoot Toad wanted nothing to do with me, kept coming up in the shade mind you. As soon as the Spadefoot Toad noticed movement down it went into the dark depths of the pond!



The Spadefoot Toads head usually was in the shade. Might be to hot in the sun? Frogs and toads skin is very thin.....



I took several shots of the feet. Being diggers the feet of the Spadefoot Toad is different then water based creatures.



Since I do not pick up the toads or the frogs here without cause, such as death, this Spadefoot Toad is not touched by anyone! I do not allow us to pick  the Spadefoot Toad up by our hands. I just do not want to hurt them! So this Spadefoot Toad comes and goes as it wants to. Only seeing one adult stuck in the fabricated pond so far. Tadpoles are a different story and I have a net for these, again I just do not want to touch them.



You can see the side of the prefab pond in some of these shots. On day two the Spadefoot Toad seamed very.... it no longer was darting down under the water to the black depths of the pond. This concerned me due to the Spadefoot Toad behavior when it first was seen in the pond the day before. The question, what would happen to this Spadefoot Toad if it was unable to get out of the pond and go back into it's burrow went through my mind. I dont want to hurt the Spadefoot Toad by being ignorant!

I expressed my concerns to Guy when he got home from work and he seen the Spadefoot Toad was not expressing the liveliness of a creature who is doing well. So Guy placed a board in the pond, if the Spadefoot Toad wanted out, this could be a way it could get out. Since we have no idea how on earth the Spadefoot Toads even get into the pond? Assuming the need to breed is so great, getting into the prefab pond is easier then getting out for the creature.......



The next morning the Spadefoot Toad was gone. I like getting the photographs I do of the wild creature who show up here, but I am not going to go so far as stressing out the creatures who show up here. Stress is a killer of both small and large creatures. That to me is not a good host.

Who knows there might be Spadefoot Toad eggs again in 2015? It is still very early in the year..... We may just see this species in this pond again?? I have yet to see a grown Spadefoot Toad in the other pond. I did photograph several of the tadpoles last year in the other pond. Lets hope the snakes do not move in and wipe out our little ponds this year? I am on the watch for snakes, and the smell of such snakes!

Thank you for coming by and checking out these photographs that were taken ..... oh last week? A few days ago now.... If you would like to read the blog post of last year when I just learned what I have photographs of you can read that post here if you would like or copy and paste the url http://www.mrsroadrunner.com/blog/2014/6/spadefoot-toad .

Tadpoles or Pollywogs FROGS

Mrsroadrunner Photography | Tadpoles or Pollywogs FROGS




Meet the Tadpoles of our pond! We have had the frogs / toads here at the house for some time. Mostly the common species Pacific Tree Frogs. Though when we put in prefabricated ponds to help with the water issue in our area, we found out we have toads here as well!



I really do not know what species these Tadpoles are? I do have a idea however...... We have two ponds in which we put these prefabricated ponds into the bigger natural ponds. Doing this I learned a little more of the differences of the Tadpoles we have here. These Tadpoles do NOT like to be seen, at least during the day! So I waited for them to come to the top to get their photograph. I like their eyes!! They are this bright yellow, orange color that remind me of the color of a sunrise/sunset! You can see a little of the eyes on the Tadpole that is coming up there on the right. These are also bigger then the other ponds Tadpoles.



This shot is from the other ponds, see the raspberry leaves?? This pond is where the Raspberries are planted. Draping over the water giving shade to that which live in the water. The creatures seam to like this? These photographs were taken on a day in July 2014. With these prefabricated ponds in place, we do still have water in them even though this is now December and these Tadpoles are adults by now.





We are back to the other pond! This one we call the smaller pond. Why? The natural pond is smaller then the other pond is why. This one does not have Raspberries planted , this one has cattails planted. I am always cutting back and puling out the raspberries who really do try to take over the world!! This ponds shade comes from a flowering fruit tree we have growing here in the High Desert of Oregon.

These prefabricated ponds have saved us gallons of water!! During spring , summer and some of fall we do add water to the natural part of the pond, though nothing like we used to !! Since the Tadpoles are doing fine the way we have the ponds in 2014. 2015 things may need to be tweaked, we will see?

This is also one big reason I do not use the agriculture water. That water is run off from the farms and ranches. The frogs, toads, lizards etc.. are having a hard enough time here in Oregon trying to find a environment where they can live. I have been advised not to have fish that will disrupt this environment for the amphibians . Our ponds are just not that big!





The shot above is from the "small pond".

Technical issues this morning has cut this blog post short.



Small Pond



Small pond



Small pond



Big pond with the smaller species of Tadpoles.



Small pond



Small pond



Thank you for coming by and seeing the photographs from this day in July 2014. I did photograph the development of the Tadpoles in 2014 through out their life. I am sure I will run across the photographs and perhaps make another blog post about them?

Have a great friday and a better weekend!!

Mrsroadrunner Photography | Morning With A Muskrat

Mrsroadrunner Photography | Morning With A Muskrat

I headed off as every morning when I go on a walk here in our town. Checking my camera bag and choosing which lens to bring with me, knowing it will never be the right lens ha! Choosing whether to carry the heavy water canteen,or just fill up a bottle I have around here. Filled up a bottle with water that fits nicely into my bag is what I chose to do this morning.

As times before a coyote disturbed the peace at the ponds. Hearing all the racket I new something was going down, however I just kept my slow pace hoping by the time I got there things would be calmed down?

If the Magpies would quit telling everyone I was there things would have went a little better? The ducks were on high alert due to the coyote no doubt?? All of them flew making loud distress calls as they went! Some in pairs going this way and that way! I did notice the farmers were busy doing their thing, which the wildlife get used to here in my part of the High Desert of Oregon. Jefferson County Oregon is a agricultural place after all!

As I looked over the first pond I seen nothing in the pond itself but for some small birds who looked like Robins taking baths. I was  keeping a lookout for the Coyote of course, though Coyotes really do not want anything to do with people! I made my way through the brush to the second pond.

I did see something dive under the water. Whatever it was made a ripple in the water. We do have some pretty large fish here, but not in a pond of this size I thought? Shoot someone would have to put the fish here! Fish just cant walk to ponds! Hence why the state of Oregon is dropping fish from helicopters in the more remote lakes for those who hike to the lakes and want to fish.

Really these seam to be holding ponds that are not really used anymore for the farmer who owns the land. Pipes coming from the ponds themselves as well as what appears to be a machine which I really do not pay any mind to for to have permission to be on the land I have to follow some basic rules. Common sense tells me not to mess around with such things as machinery! The owner did not have to tell me this. However, I do find the pipes nice sitting spots. They are really long pipes that are basically on the ground.

I made myself comfy, and waited. Whatever it was will come up again. Sometime! Sure enough up pops a head with vegetation in it's paws!

The Blackbirds in the tree nearest me were quiet for a second then off the male started doing his display calling to whatever female might happen to be around. The male Red Winged Blackbird did keep me company, along with the female who answered his call.

I watched the Muskrat eat her breakfast taking of course a lot of photographs! No I did not put all the photographs on here, just a couple!

The Muskrat after a time quit diving and bring up more vegetation to eat to what it looked like to me, she was checking on something?? Where she is there, that is the end of this pond, see the cattails and such?? This is a ok sized pond, I just call it the small pond.

In the next shot here, you can see she is contemplating something! Her behavior made me even wonder what she is thinking so hard about? I am only calling her a she, I do not know if this is a male or female? Perhaps the males venture out more then the females??

The morning was still pretty chilly at this time, I still had my sweater on. Though gosh the bugs!! I did have to check if I had ticks on me, though it is a little early for ticks I thought...... No tick thank goodness! I am a tick magnet, that is just the way it is! Guy (my other half), claims if there is a tick within a mile I will not only find it but I will bring it home with me ha! This is what happens when you hang out near the water!

Many places the visitors come to, these places do not have bugs to bother these folks as much for these places are sprayed with chemicals. This way folks can have a good time in our part of the world. You go off the beat and path, well.... you will get eaten up just like everything else by the bugs. However, these places off the beat and path are where I feel the best outdoor experiences come from! The trick is to learn where these kinds of places are.....

Now this next photograph is what made me know without a doubt this is no beaver!

Beavers do not have such a tail, hence Muskrat. Rat..... It is not like you can walk right up to a wildlife species and ask it what exactly do we humans call you?? I think most of my time photographing what I do when I get home is research!! I would of liked this to be a Beaver, why? Well, we do not see Beaver like we used to here! This really is not a place a beaver would be more then likely anyways, due to it not being connected to a river inlet etc.. Well, from what I know of Beaver without looking them up and reading.

I did kind of feel my observation of this Muskrat was over. Thinking just wait.... I am in no hurry, and I refuse to wear a watch or any kind of time piece. Though I did happen to notice the farmers , there was several people out on farm machinery on that piece of land over in that direction. That just happens to be where one can see as plain as day The Three Sisters mountains. What a horrible place to work right?? Where you have beautiful scenery of The Three Sisters mountain, with Mt. Jefferson, and Mt. Hood right there in your face ha!

The farmers drove the farm machinery and parked all in a row. Common farmers like things neat and tidy! I assumed it was around lunch time?? Our town does not have a noon time bell like other towns I have been in. This is how I kind of new it was around noonish, or when it was going to start getting hot so 10ish?? WOW it did get hot later on btw!

I was contemplating getting up and leaving, but thought I would just sit tight.....

By this time a Robin come over where the Red Winged Blackbirds were to check out the situation! Robin birds are pretty much bullies !! They rather feel that everything is their business! Of course they back off when bigger birds then them are around however the blackbirds are not bigger then they are.

As our Muskrat was in the cattails I started watching the birds more. Jumping down getting drinks and heading back up to their perching spot. The male Red Wing showing off all his color as he screams for attention. The Robin bird trying to scare him out of his spot..... dint happen by the way! I also at this time heard hawks, well Harriers perhaps. This is where I typically see them and they make drive by's. Though I have seen my share of eagles out here. Though this was a hawk. Fact was, it was a Red Tailed Hawk soaring way up high. Circling, riding the wave until I could not see it or hear it any longer.

Keeping a eye on where the Muskrat is.... something is at that spot, for the Muskrat did not move from there! All I could see is it's butt, or um rear end for our younger readers! AND I waited.....

I wait a lot by the way!! Thinking most of my life is waiting! Of course I just can not get my lens in there to see what the Muskrat is doing, thus I think it is waiting when actually it is just a time laps for I have no clue of what is going on and I want to know, so I wait! Why I also do not wear any type of watch, or carry a time piece.... That is a stress I just dont need in my life. Since my sibling took my Cinderella watch did I think time should hold so much control over us. Or was it a Snow White, I think it was Snow White come to think of it.... I was always one to think about why folks do what they do. Hey, I wonder how much that watch would go for these days? MMMM, might just be neat to see one of those now a days. Ok back to the Muskrat!

The wait was finally over!! Went by pretty quickly. I had things to think about and other creatures to watch while I waited, and waited.

WHAM with delight and rather a proud look on the Muskrats disposition, I found out what on earth the Muskrat was doing!!

The Muskrat was cutting this down! Well chewing it down! Thank goodness we have a thumb right?

Looks like a pretty good piece of something to eat there doesn't it? If that is you are a Muskrat! Some nice bark, perhaps a bug or more within the bark! Yum Yum ha!

Now to get the piece of wood to go where the Muskrat wants it to go! Some folks say critters are not real smart..... I dont know about that!? We have watched this Muskrat use up a lot of energy to get this piece of wood into the water, so that piece of wood must be pretty darn important!

Off "she", goes with the piece of wood to her desired destination. This Muskrat disappeared where I could no longer observe what the Muskrat was doing.

I did make my way over to that spot, and seen it was built up of many pieces of wood! Though I dont know for sure, however I am wondering if this Muskrat had young and was taking this piece of wood to the young to chew on?? Or for this Muskrat to chew on later?? Or just to repair the nest as Beavers do??

Thank you for coming by and spending time with me and the Muskrat! Check out my other photography at mrsroadrunner.com . I do sale my photography so I can head out and observe our off the beat and path places here in Oregon! Facebook fan page (give a like??), of course Twitter .

Who is going to get there own way?

Our mastiffs were actually playing at one of the lakes we were at.

They are just bigger then most dogs.

English Mastiffs are very good family dogs. They are protectors and do not need to tell anyone, or even show anyone they are. When adults they puff up like puffer fish.

Pound per pound they do not play rougher then other breeds of dogs, they are just big dogs.

The English Mastiff, or Old English Mastiff is a old breed of dog.

The males can weigh anywhere from 150- 250 pounds.The biggest English Mastiff to date was 345 pounds. He stood 35 inches at the shoulders and tip of his tail to the tip of his nose he was 8.25 feet long. I read where he was the size of a small donkey.

Our young boys are no where near that size! They are around 200 pounds. Big babies if you ask me!

Columbia River Views

Photo by MrsRoadRunner . : photography... | Gather

Columbia River Views

Horseback Riders At The Watering Hole

Photo by MrsRoadRunner . : photography... | Gather

Horseback Riders At The Watering Hole. We have many such watering places here in the high desert.

Oregon Yellow and White Wildflower

Photo by MrsRoadRunner . : photographs... | Gather

Oregon Yellow and White Wildflower

Winter Run Off

Photo by MrsRoadRunner . : photographs... | Gather

Winter Run Off. Can not tell anyone exactly where we were, heard water and started hiking. This was up in the Ochoco Mountains of Oregon.

Spring Time In The Ochoco Mountains

Photo by MrsRoadRunner . : photographs... | Gather

Spring Time In The Ochoco Mountains

American White Pelican

Photo by MrsRoadRunner . : photographs... | Gather

American White Pelican. If you can imagine we do not see a lot of pelicans here, so when we saw a few, I had to get a photograph.

Yellow Headed Black Bird

Photo by MrsRoadRunner . : photographs... | Gather

Yellow Headed Black Bird. I was taking shots of another kind of bird, when this one stole the show.

Waterline In May

Photo by MrsRoadRunner . : photographs,photo... | Gather

Waterline In May

On A Calm Day

Photo by MrsRoadRunner . : photographs,photo... | Gather

On A Calm Day. It was pretty calm out the other day. Visitors are showing up now for the holiday.

Water In The High Desert

Photo by MrsRoadRunner . : photographs,photo... | Gather

Water In The High Desert. Ran across this and thought it would make a good reflection shot.

Cascade Mountain Runoff

Photo by MrsRoadRunner . : photographs,photo... | Gather

Cascade Mountain Runoff. The snow is going away, turning into fast running liquid.

Creek Runs Through it

Photo by MrsRoadRunner . : photographs,photo... | Gather

Creek Runs Through it.

Goose Up At A Lake In The Cascades

Photo by MrsRoadRunner . : photographs,photo... | Gather

Goose Up At A Lake In The Cascades.

Falling Water, Cascade Mountains Oregon

Photo by MrsRoadRunner . : photographs,photo... | Gather

Falling Water, Cascade Mountains Oregon